


The Many-Headed Beast

by lea_hazel



Category: Long Live the Queen (Video Game)
Genre: Coming of Age, Established Relationship, F/F, Femslash, Intrigue, Kings & Queens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-14
Updated: 2016-12-14
Packaged: 2018-09-08 13:21:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8846638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lea_hazel/pseuds/lea_hazel
Summary: In the years immediately following her coronation, Elodie finds herself up to her neck in intrigues and machinations. Briony provides some unexpected relief.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [escritoireazul](https://archiveofourown.org/users/escritoireazul/gifts).



**I.**

On the anniversary of the great Shanjian invasion they held a parade in honor of the navy and the Queen. As it was only a month before the Queen’s birthday, preparations were already underway for a grand feast at the palace, which all the ducal houses were expected to attend. Elodie was fervently thankful that she had had time to improve her riding skills before the parade, where she was expected to ride alongside her most distinguished admirals, all of them three times her age or more. Stumbling and falling was absolutely out of the question.

Even after her coronation, Elodie had no illusions about the throne being irretrievably her own. It was just a matter of time before Arisse or Banion or one of the others started conspiring against her again. At least she knew she could trust her agents to keep her abreast of any brewing conspiracy. And Briony, of course. Briony, whom she could trust in, more than she trusted her own family.

And Briony had been the first one to see Elodie as a hero, not a child. Long before her generals could bring themselves to address her with genuine respect, before the dukes and duchesses had bowed before her, before the people began to call out her name when she went riding through the capital. It was reckless, what they had done. Elodie knew that better than most. She had studied the lore and seen the danger with her own eyes. It was reckless, yes, but surely someone could see that it was also brave?

If she had not been willing to risk herself, she never would have ventured out to lead her troops in person when the Shanjians invaded. It galled her that no one seemed willing to recognize that.

**II.**

Her next birthday was less of a fuss. Oh, there was going to be a grand ball, beautiful gowns, sparkling jewels, all that. After two years, her reign could almost be considered stable. The sense of emergency was dissipated. As they were in no immediate danger of losing their young queen, the nobles and priestesses no longer needed to personally verify her well-being. As well, she had not only made clear her position regarding marriage, but enforced it. Anyone who’d hoped to gain a crown through her favor now thought better of it.

“Oh, I’ll get married eventually, of course,” she said to Briony privately, when she knew no one would be about to hear them.

Briony leaped to return her serve, sending the ball flying back over the net. “Of course,” she said breathlessly.

Elodie caught the ball easily. “If that’s the best you can do, I’m going to have to call in Adele from Elath, see if maybe she can give her Queen a real challenge.”

“You wouldn’t dare!” said Briony, and hit the ball back with more force than aim.

Elodie ran after it, but it landed just outside the court. She took advantage of the pause to catch her breath, leaning both hands on her thighs, feeling sweat trickling down her back under her dress.

“Wouldn’t I?” she said. “I’m Queen, after all. I can do what I want.”

They both laughed, and Briony said, “If you want a real challenge, then, I dare you to take me on on the fencing court.”

Elodie made a face. “I know better than that.”

“Besides,” added Briony, “Adele will be here for the great birthday ball, won’t she?”

Elodie nodded. “She has to, she’s still representing Elath.”

Later, when they were heading back to the palace, sweaty and tired but well satisfied with their exercise, it was Briony who brought the subject up again.

“About that thing you said...” she started.

Elodie waved her concerns away. “Don’t worry about it. That won’t happen for years. I have a kingdom to run, and far too much work to do to spend any time worrying about husbands.”

“Oh,” said Briony. “All right, then.”

**III.**

They planned her eighteenth birthday celebration together. Elodie had sent repeated letters to Merva, requesting Lady Charlotte’s presence at the royal palace, but had received only one rather curt reply. It seemed that her aunt considered her a bad influence on Lottie. She had no intention of leaving her eldest daughter under the auspices of Nova’s notoriously rambunctious young Queen, and her ‘ _Lady of the Royal Bedchamber_ ’, as Briony had taken to calling herself.

“Shouldn’t she be of age, by now?” asked Briony, frowning, as Elodie tossed aside yet another note from her uncle.

“Charlotte has always been under her mother’s thumb,” said Elodie with a shrug. “I just didn’t see it before.”

“We should rescue her from her family,” said Briony, tracing idle circles on the surface of the walnut wood desk she sat on.

“Oh?” asked Elodie, leaning back in her seat. “Rescue her how? Just ride into Merva and snatch her away, slung over the back of your horse? I think that’s called kidnapping.”

“Even if the Queen does it?” teased Briony. “I thought Queens could do whatever they wanted.”

“When Queens do it,” said Elodie, “it’s called preempting sovereignty, and will probably cause a civil war. Besides, even if we took Charlotte with us, what about the younger children? What about Uncle Laurent?”

“Does your uncle need rescuing, too?” asked Briony, straightening up in her seat.

“Maybe,” said Elodie evasively. “My spies are sending conflicting reports.”

“Doesn’t he inherit if you die childless?” asked Briony.

Elodie nodded.

Briony seemed to take some time to process this, little frown lines slowly spreading on her forehead. Elodie didn’t like thinking about it either, in all honesty. Now that her father wasn’t about to remind her, she usually managed to avoid it. Why was it that her birthdays always seemed to bring afloat all her greatest worries and concerns?

“Adair of Elath is of age, isn’t he?” said Briony suddenly.

Elodie pulled a face. “I’m _not_ marrying little Adair. Doesn’t your grandmother want Adele to marry him, now that she’s not his guardian anymore?”

“Maybe,” said Briony, “but they’re like brother and sister, and she would never agree to that. I don’t think you should marry him, either. What about Charlotte, though?”

This gave her pause. “Charlotte,” she said slowly. “Marrying into Elath? She’ll control Merva one day.”

“But in the meantime,” said Briony, “she’ll be out from under her mother’s roof. And you’ll be able to prevent Grandmother Arisse from adding Elath to her family.”

“I thought you said–“

Briony cut her off. “Everyone knows it’s just a matter of time before she convinces Charmion to send her daughter after him.”

“Your family,” said Elodie, “breeds prodigiously.”

**IV.**

It was a minor scandal that Gwenelle of Sudbury had planned her wedding to take place so shortly before the royal birthday, and everyone knew why she had done it. Still, Elodie had condescended to attend in person, and arranged for an appropriately grand gift to be prepared. She was not to be accompanied, as Briony had been roped into participating in the ceremony in her capacity as a relation of the groom, since Gwenelle had no sisters of her own.

It was as good an excuse as any for Elodie to dance with any good-looking young man in attendance, and sow as much discord among the squabbling houses as she could get away with. Arisse was flexing her claws, that was all. She would show up, and take the opportunity to remind her that she was not, herself, declawed. As she was gracing the party with the favor of her presence, however, there was no reason for her to arrive earlier than sundown on the day of the ceremony.

As soon as the vows were sealed and the priestesses had blessed the match, Charlotte rushed over to her side. Elodie nodded to her guards, all of whom had been specifically instructed to consider anyone but Briony and her father a possible threat. But Charlotte’s face as she approached was so radiant with joy that Elodie knew it had to be good news she was carrying.

She was not disappointed.

“Oh, Elodie! Elodie! Did you hear?” her cousin asked her breathlessly.

“Did he finally ask?” said Elodie with a small smile.

“He asked! He finally asked!” Charlotte was almost dancing with excitement.

“That’s wonderful, Lottie,” said Elodie, with more patience for her young cousin’s enthusiasm than she had felt in years.

“Oh, do you think we’ll manage to plan for a midwinter wedding?” asked Charlotte anxiously. “It’s so soon, and there is so much to be done.”

With only a few polite words, she was off again, skipping away to find her husband-to-be among the wedding party.

“That worked out well.”

Somehow, without her noticing, Briony had slipped away from her family and come to join her, standing at her left shoulder.

“You’re very good at scheming, Briony,” said Elodie. “Should I be worried?”

“Not so long as I’m scheming on your behalf, surely,” she replied.

**V.**

Elodie was turning twenty, and the occasion of the fifth year of her reign was to be commemorated. She was worried that it would send all the wrong signs, to be so openly celebrating landmarks before even a decade had passed. As if even she knew that her reign was destined to be short-lived, as if the specter of her untimely inheritance would hang over her like a pall, always. It was hard, though, to be so grim and pessimistic when special coins were being minted, and the greatest painter in all of Nova had been commissioned to paint her portrait.

Still, sitting for the portrait had been a chore. She was glad to see that the likeness had apparently been worth the effort.

“Wouldn’t it have been better to wait for a wedding portrait?”

Elodie shook her head. “It’s not time.”

“You will have to make a choice eventually.”

She turned to look at her father. “I will,” she said with exaggerated patience, “ _when it’s time_.”

“You have–“

“I have not even made my selection yet,” she said curtly. “So, you see, it’s far too soon to plan a wedding, as they generally require a groom as well as a bride.”

“So long as you remember,” said her father quietly.

She looked up sharply from the documents in her hand. “What was that?”

“There are diplomatic considerations,” said her father. “Royal favor is not to be dispensed lightly. Liaisons such as the one you have been–“

She cut him off again, more brusquely than before. “You forfeited the right to intervene in my private affairs,” she said, “years ago.”

“These are not just private affairs,” said Joslyn. “They’re affairs of state, as well.”

“No,” said Elodie. “Affairs of the heart are quite a separate matter from marriage, I assure you. The Duke and Duchess of Mead, for example, plainly detest each other. And Uncle Laurent has been keeping a mistress for longer than Zahra has been alive.”

“I only meant–“ began her father.

“It doesn’t matter what you meant,” said Elodie, returning her eyes to the report she'd been reading a moment earlier. “The decision is mine, and mine alone.”

“Briony will tell you the same thing,” said her father.

“Go away,” said Elodie. “I have work to do.”

“He’s not wrong, Elodie,” said Briony to her later, when they were alone.

“I know,” said Elodie. “Why do you think half of the guest list for the feast are foreign? I never meant to marry a Novan noble. The dukes are all power-hungry bastards, and the more minor nobles would be eaten alive by the thousand-headed intrigue beast that is my court.”

“Sensible,” said Briony.

“And–“ started Elodie, and hesitated to continue.

Briony kept silent and waited.

Elodie sighed deeply. “I don’t want to end up like Cayleigh.”

Briony snorted inelegantly. “Best rub Talarist of Sedna off the guest list, then.”

She shook her head. “It serves my purposes if he thinks I still might be considering him.“

“Fair enough.”

“What about you?” asked Elodie, turning to face her.

“Me?”

“Do you have an opinion as to who I should marry, and when?” asked Elodie.

“Of course I do,” said Briony, shrugging one shoulder. “Doesn’t everyone? The difference is, I know that my opinion doesn’t have to be yours, and you’re the one making the decision. You’ll be the one living in the marriage, too, which some people seem to forget.”

“The difference is, your opinion actually matters to me,” said Elodie.

“I’m touched,” said Briony.

Elodie hit her with a pillow, and they both laughed.

“You know you won’t be able to stay,” said Elodie quietly, much later, in the dark.

Briony nodded her head, which she could feel more easily than see.

“You can still visit, of course,” said Elodie, “as much as possible. And you must write me every week, at least, or I‘ll hunt you down and have you tried for treason.”

Briony laughed softly, and her warm breath tickled Elodie's collarbone.

“This isn’t ending, Briony,” said Elodie. “I mean it.”

“No,” agreed Briony. “Not ending, just changing.”

Elodie sighed. “Everything is changing.”

“Not too quickly, though,” said Briony, throwing an arm over her to pull her under the covers. “We still have a little time.”


End file.
